Movie Bands We Wish Existed In Real Life

Movie Bands We Wish Existed In Real Life

We’ve all experienced that moment where the end credits begin to roll and reality hits: Too bad that wasn’t an actual band! Everyone has to settle for buying the movie soundtrack, even though we know our favorite fictional movie bands could probably sell out arenas in seconds. Here’s hoping we see some sequels soon, but until then we’ve rounded up some of our favorite clips from the best movie bands that really should exist in real life.

Stillwater, Almost Famous

Almost Famous is a serious music junkie cult classic. While most teenagers were just trying to navigate high school, aspiring music journalist William Miller convinced Rolling Stone to let him report on Stillwater, an up-and-coming fictional rock band, while they went on tour across the country. Stillwater sounds like it could fit right in with any real late-70’s rock band along the lines of Styx or Boston, who were also just hitting their stride at the time. Check out one of the band’s best movie hits, “Fever Dog,” above.

The Blues Brothers, The Blues Brothers

Before The Lonely Island, there were The Blues Brothers. Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi started the blues band as a skit on Saturday Night Live, and it was no surprise when a movie followed due to the (fictional) band’s popularity. In the movie, Aykroyd and Belushi win over every crowd they play for with hits like “Everybody Needs Somebody To Love” and “Jailhouse Rock.” If that doesn't convince you of the pair’s skills on stage, their performance of “Shake A Tailfeather” with Ray Charles himself will seal the deal.

School of Rock, School of Rock

Led by Jack Black, School of Rock brought us the coolest (really, the only) band of 5th graders who we wanted to see jump out of our screens and onto the Billboard charts at the time. Who can forget the final performance, “Zach's Song,” when the whole class dressed up as miniature rockers, and we all subsequently wished we could have done the same when we were in 5th grade. Check it out above.

DJay, Hustle & Flow

Terrence Howard initially turned down the role of DJay in Hustle & Flow to avoid typecasting, then picked it back up again when he saw the depth of the character. We’re glad he did, because otherwise we never would have been exposed to his evident skills as a rapper. Howard paired up with Atlanta rappers Three 6 Mafia to write the Best Original Song at the Academy Awards in 2006.

The Barden Bellas, Pitch Perfect

Rebel Wilson may have cemented her presence on the silver screen with her breakout role in Bridesmaids, but after watching Pitch Perfect we are confident that she’d be able to nail down a second career in music if she wanted to. Thanks to shows like Glee, a capella groups no longer fly under the radar and performances like that of The Barden Bellas only help to show how popular the genre is becoming. Until the Bellas officially decide to go on tour, we’ll have to settle for re-watching some of the great mashups including the riff off scene and the final performance--check it out above.

Marvin Berry and The Starlighters, Back To The Future

If anyone was forced to go back to the high school prom, at least we all know what band would be on the top of the performance list. Marvin Berry and The Starlighters performed at the Enchantment Under The Sea Dance in Back to the Future, and were the ones to discover Marty McFly locked in the trunk of their car during a dance break. Their scene was set in the mid-'50s, but there’s always time for a comeback, right?

Kelly Canter, Country Strong

Country Strong—otherwise known as the movie where we found out Gwyneth Paltrow could sing—follows fictional country music star Kelly Canter’s comeback tour through lots of depression and drama, all underscored by some great country music. Both Paltrow and supporting actress, Leighton Meester, who play rising star Chiles Stanton, show off some talented twang in songs like “Words I Couldn’t Say” and the big finale, “Country Strong.” Watch the epic performance of the title song above.